Land and Resources, Plant and Animal Life

pangolins, large rodents, deciduous trees, species of deer, extinction

When Laos gained independence in 1953, about 70 percent of the land area was forested. Since then logging and slash-and-burn agriculture have reduced that to 54 percent. Forests are broadly of two kinds: dense tropical rain forests of broadleaf evergreens, and more open, mixed forests of evergreens and deciduous trees. The forests form a habitat for a great variety of animal life, including elephants and tigers, which are both threatened with extinction in the wild; several species of deer; pangolins (scaled anteaters); large rodents; snakes; and lizards.